


How Max Mercury became part of the Flash Family

by Queen_of_potatoes_and_Co_Angstalor



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community: yj_anon_meme, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2020-10-13 14:21:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20583923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_of_potatoes_and_Co_Angstalor/pseuds/Queen_of_potatoes_and_Co_Angstalor
Summary: Bart decides that he no longer will be a strain on his family, so he decided to start living in the streets, but he knew that they wouldn't let him if he told them, so  he lied, he told them that he was going to spend the night somewhere/someone when in reality he wasn't.It was in one of those time that he meet Max,  he was cool.His family didn't seem to like him, he wonders why.





	1. The day Bart meet Max

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Inspired by a prompt in the ‘yj anon meme’:  
“Because I appear to have a thing for poor little bart (and food) And I've been reading the Impulse comics and am completely in love with the Bart/Max family thing that's going on (and I just know I'm going to be left broken hearted at some point)  
Anyway.  
Bart keeps getting shuffled between members of the Flash family. Jay and Joan can't be expected to look after him all the time, and with Iris pregnant him staying at their house can be a little problematic. Wally has decided he loves the kid because they're family but he really doesn't have the patience to deal with him 24/7. Bart's ok with the moving around, in the future you sleep where you can and get food where you can scavenge it, but he can see that him being in each of these places is putting extra strain on his family, and he doesn't want that.  
So he ends up lying to each of them, that he's staying at the mountain/base for the night, or with someone else in the family. What he's actually doing (when he's not really sleeping at the mountain/base) is sleeping where he can on the streets, scavenging for food so he's not putting extra strain on his family to provide for him. I don't want his family to be deliberately neglectful, when they have him in their house they look after him and love him and cuddle him, but none of them really know what to do with a future grandson/cousin, and he gets that and reacts with silly child logic of "maybe it's better if I'm not here."  
Somehow he comes to the attention of Max Mercury (he can be superpowered or not) and somehow, in some unlikely event he ends up taking Bart in, offering him a completely stable environment, with expectations and chores and whatnot. He doesn't ask more questions than Bart feels he can answer, until finally Bart himself trusts him to tell him something. Bart doesn't show up every day or night, but the room is open to him and he has a key to the house and Max hopes one day to know who this boy really is and maybe try his hand at legally fostering him.  
Of course the flash family has noticed Bart's missing presence and it all comes out, there's shouting and crying and threatening (because seriously you perverted old man, what are we supposed to think you inviting a twelve year old kid into your house!) while Bart wonders what the big deal is, he likes Max...  
and I have no idea where I'm going with this...  
Do what you want, all I want is Max/Bart father/son bonding, only with more depth than the comics showed, because it was totally obvious Max loved Bart, but there seemed to be a major lack of delicious angst/comfort moments, and I would like to see that translated into the YJ universe with a slightly more serious Bart.”

**April 28th, 2017**

Bart knew he was putting a strain on his family, he saw the looks that they shared when they thought he wasn’t paying attention, he heard the conversations they had about money (wasn’t it weird that they still used  _ that _ , in the future you either switched something for other thing or in change of other…services) when they thought that he wasn't listening, he knew that he was causing more problems than helping. That’s why he lied to them, telling them that he was spending the night somewhere or with someone else when he was actually staying in the streets (weirdly not very different from the future, you find somewhere safe to sleep and find food safe to eat), it was better that way anyway. 

Thanks to him spending time in the streets was actually how he meet Max. He was spending the night in an alley in Manchester, Alabama when he heard the sound of fighting, when he went to investigate he found a what to others would have been a blur, when in reality a man with what was obviously an hero costume, taking down a couple of thugs with guns.

“Ah, kids this days, always causing trouble.” The man said, while looking down at the people who attacked him. Then he noticed him.

“Uh, you didn’t see anything.” was all he had said before he disappeared in a gust of wind.

So Bart did the only thing he could do, he followed the man.

He followed the man until he stopped in front of an house away from the city, not to far so he wouldn’t be caught unaware of the things that happened in it, but far enough to be able to leave and return without worrying about prying neighbors.

“Boy, that was close.” The man said, walking up to the house, but Bart couldn’t help himself and asked:“What was close?”

“What the-”the man started to say while he was turning around. “How did you follow me? Are you a speedster!?”

“Uhhhh…” And now Bart realized that maybe he shouldn’t have said anything or have followed the man (he later will blame it on not having eaten anything for a few hours).“...maybe.”

“I never knew that there were others.” the man said walking up up to him.

“What about the Flash? Both the first and the second? What about Kid Flash?” Bart said, taking a few steps backwards. The man had gotten the hit, and didn’t advance further.

“Who? I swear I have heard the name before.” The Man said, putting a hand on his chin. “Are they heroes of this Era?”

“Era? You are not from this time?”  _ Was he another time travel? If so, he must be from the past to not know about the heroes  _ though Bart, analyzing the person in front of him.

“You could say that, come on.” The man said, turning around and signaling him to follow, when he didn’t, the man looked over his shoulder and said: “What? It’s cold outside, and you look like you someplace to crash and to eat something, you look thin for someone with a fast metabolism.”

And so he followed after him, he soon he learned that the man was Max Mercury, thought people in Manchester knew him outside his costume as Max  Crandall, that he was from the early 19th century but he has been accidentally traveling to the future for a while, and that he recently travelled to this era, only to discover that he had a daughter living in Alabama, so now he was using the cover of an amnesiac old man who was looking for his family in Manchester, as he had found out that he may have relatives leaving there. Using the money he left behind, he was able to make a few investments on famous enterprises and to buy a house. When it was Bart’s turn to tell his story, he said that his name was Bart, that he had been born with his powers, that his parents had died when was young and was put in the system but had ran away after a few bad experiences only to discover that his father had a cousin that was willing to take him in, that he was living in the streets (away from his home city or any city that family friends lived in) using his powers and experience to survive without his family knowing because they were having a few problems housing a young speedster.

“While I know that you are doing this because you want your family to not have to worry about you more than normal, you should tell them about it so you can work something out, it may take a while but until then, I have an guest room upstairs that is not in use.” Max said, getting up, only to see Bart with a shocked face.“What? I know it might take a while until you are comfortable with telling them about how you lied to them so they didn’t have to worry about you so you might need some place to stay, besides, I never meet other speedster so we may as well trade tactics. Now, the guest room is the second door on the right, the bathroom is the first door on the left.”And so, Max went to the kitchen. After a few seconds, he heard the sound of the sound of water running.


	2. The day Bart went ‘missing’

**October 3rd, 2017, earlier that day**

Barry and Iris were in the front door of the Garrick Household, they were here because Bart hadn’t checked on them for a few days and they were worried, last time they heard from him, he had said that he was going to spend a few weeks at the Garrick’s so here they were, on the Garrick’s doorstep.

Joan was the one who opened them the door, and said something that made them very confused.

“Barry! Iris! Good to see you, but where’s Bart?”

“What do you mean? He told us that he was spending a few weeks with you and Jay.” Iris said, frowning in confusion.

Joan pursed her lips and said: “Well that doesn’t make sense, he told us that he was spending a few weeks with you.”

“Maybe Jay knows something.” Barry said, trying to be helpful.

“Maybe.”said Joan, before sidestepping to let them in.

After discovering that 1) Jay liked to play golf and that 2) no, Jay did not know where Bart was when they decided to call call Bart, but they only got the voice message that any phone got when it was destroyed or was without battery (they hoped it was the later).

(“Bart what was that noise?”

“Uhm, my phone might have exploded...”

“What”

“Yeah...is better if you don’t use superspeed on phones…”

“Kid,  _ I thought that was obvious _ .”)

Then they called Wally, who a month prior had been in the Speedforce.

“Hey Wally, is Bart with you?” asked Barry, going straight to the point.

“No, he told me he was going to spend a few days on the Watchtower, do you want me to check if he is there?”asked Wally,confused.

“If you don’t mind.”

“It’s no problem, I was going there later anyway.” Right, Wally and Artemis had rejoined the team.

Click, the call ended.

  
“Jay, do you mind checking Keystone while I check Central?” asked Barry quickly changing into his Flash suit.   
  


“Did you really have to ask?” said Jay, already on his suit.

After three checks on the city's plus one where they switched to see if the other missed something, they were able to arrive before they got a call from Wally.

“Bad news, Bart isn’t at the Watchtower, his room looks like the last time he used was probably weeks ago. I asked Dick to track him down, but he said it might take a while, but he sent a alert to the League and the Team to warn us if they find Bart.”

“Can’t Dick just track down Bart via his comm?”

“No, in the last mission Bart and Cassie comm’s were destroyed and they still haven’t gotten new ones.”

“What about his phone?”   
  
“Dick can’t track it, he says it might have been destroyed.”

“Okay, me and Jay are going up there and wait for news, bye.”

“ ‘Kay, bye.” Click and the call was ended.

“Watchtower?”asked Joan and Iris at the same time.

Sharing a look with Jay, they both said at the same time: “Watchtower.”

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Later…**

The League had been warned, and were doing the best they could to track down Bart, they had a few step backs, with their magic users either off world or in the middle of something that if they left, it would put their secret ID’s at risk, there wasn’t much they could do.

A few minutes ago, Wonder Woman had called Helena Sandsmark, the mother of the girl who came running in before the voice of the Zeta-Tube’s had finished saying her codename.

“GUYS! I know where Impulse is!” She screamed.

“Where!?”said Flash, speeding to be right in front of her, followed by Wally and Jay.

“Manchester, Alabama.” She answered, but before the speedsters could run to the Zeta-Tube’s, she said.“But he was with someone.”

That stopped everybody.

“It was an old man, he claimed to be Bart’s Uncle, Bart called him that anyway, he knew about his powers.” That made the room get the aura of confusion only to be replaced by a drop of temperature as the final part sink in. “His name is Max Crandall, but I don’t know where he is right now.”

“What do you mean? How did you even find Bart?” asked Jay.

“Well, me and my mom were in a grocery store in Alabama when…”


	3. WG Flashback: How Cassie meet Max

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, no, I will not defend myself other than saying that you should commet (Like a certain someone *cough*Legionary(kudus to you)*cough* did.

**October 3rd, 2017, earlier that day**

Cassie was bored, her mother had dragged her to Manchester because of her work, she was going to stay there until she had to go to the Watchtower to her receive a new mission, what she was not expecting to do was the moment her mother and herself went to do a few grocery shopping (where she was distracting herself by reading the reports about a red and white blur that joined the previous know blue and white blur, something she should probably have to talk with Kaldur about) when she saw her teammate, Bart Allen A.K.A. Impulse, having an argument with an older man about cereal.

“-not having anymore sugar in the house young man, you already are hyperactive, there’s no need for you to be more.” said the man, grabbing the box and putting it the row of similar boxes before grabbing the cart and start walking away.

“But Uncle Max!” whined Bart, grabbing the box and following the man.

“No buts young man, and you better not have grabbed another box” the man said stopping but not turning around.

“Bart? What are you doing here” Cassie said, stepping between the two.

“C-Cassie! What are you doing here?” asked Bart, turning a bit pale.

“I asked you first.” she said.

“Um, I have been staying around here, your turn.” He said, straightening himself up a bit.

Cassie smirked, if he wanted to be mysterious (because last she heard he was at staying at the Flash’s house) so would she.“Ah, family stuff.”

“Ahem, Bart, would you mind introducing me to this young lady?” The man said gesturing Cassie, he must have turned around while Bart and her were speaking.

“Right, Cassie, meet Uncle Max, Uncle Max meet Cassie, we go to a group together.” Bart said, walking to the cart with the box behind him.

“Nice to meet you.” Cassie said, giving the man a hand for him to shake. Which he did while he was saying:“Nice to meet you as well miss, oh and Bart? Didn’t I say that that Cereal wasn’t going? Go put it where it belongs.”

“Wha-fine.” Bart said, walking faster than a normal human should be able to.

“Bart” Max said with an warningly tone on his voice.

“Calm down Max, she knows.” Bart said, before walking back to them.

“It still no reason for you to use your powers around.” Max said with a lecturing tone.

“Cassie! There you are!” said the voice of her mother. Turning around, Cassie saw her mother pushing her cart towards them. “I was worried! Oh,um, who are this gentlemen?”

“Mom, this are Bart Allen, he is other member of the group that I frequent, and this is Max-Uh, I never got your last name.” Cassie said, rubbing the back of her neck embarrassingly.

“My name is Max Crandall, I’m Bart’s uncle.” Max said.

“Oh, well, it was nice to meet you two but my daughter and I have to get going.” said Helena, grabbing her daughter arm and dragging her away.

When they were both outside and away from prying eyes and ears, Helena turned to her daughter and whispered:“The League called me because of your status of your comm link” before Cassie could defend herself.“I know that your comm broke because of an attack during your last mission,  _ I know _ , but the league called, apparently a member of your team, Impulse, is missing.”

A beat.

“Mom, Bart  _ is  _ the Impulse.”

(When they went to see if Bart and Max were still in the store, the only thing they found was a mixing cereal box.)


	4. ‘Rescuing’ Bart

**October 3rd, 2017, later that day**

“Nightwing, Robin, look up Max Crandall, Flash, Mr Garrick, Kid Flash, stay put. For some reason that man knows about Impulse’s powers and he considers himself as his uncle, something that for some reason Impulse didn’t find any reason to protest against the idea.”Batman ordered.

“Got it! Max Crandall, apparently an 70 year old amnesiatic old man, moved from an unknown place to Manchester after an anonymous tip about how a relatives of his lived there, unknown when he meet Impulse, though there are a few reports about people seeing Bart sleeping in the streets, both before and after the first time Bart and Max were first seen together.” At this, everyone frowned.“Most people assume that Bart is the family relative that Max got the tip about, though there were a few people who raised concerns about whether he really was, it was always shot down by Max, Bart or both. He lives in a house right by the lines of the city.” Robin said

“Nothing is known about his past, it just like he appeared out of nowhere.” said Nightwing.

“An unknown male who knows about your powers, Flash wait here for-” Whatever Batman was going to say was lost as the final Flash member present Zeta-ed away. “Someone stop them, NOW!”

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**At the same time in Manchester**

“Hey Max! I’m going ou-ah!”screamed Bart as he tripped and fell down the stairs.

“Bart!? Bar-oof!” said Max as he went to check on what happened but ended up tripping and falling on top of Bart.

“Ugh, kid? Wha-Let me see.” Max said, noticing that Bart’s head was bleeding before forcing him to stay still while he inspected the kid’s head.

All he got as an answer was an whimper, that was horrible timed, because that moment both the first and second Flash followed by Kid Flash. And they all heard the whimper, and saw Bart under an old man who was holding Bart’s (bleeding) head.  (Oh boy)

“ _ GET AWAY FROM MY GRANDSON/COUSIN! _ ” Was a shout that was followed by Barry and Jay throwing Max against the wall and Wally going to check on his cousin.

Before Jay and Barry could punch Max in an unconscious state, Max was able to regain his bearings and duck

The thing is, the punch was no normal punch, it was a punch at  _ superspeed _ , which made it so that the moment Max ducked, OG!Flash and Flash 0.2 freeze in shock, which gave enough time for Max to use his superspeed to reach Bart, who was being cradled by Wally, who was shocked that someone else had superspeed without the League knowing, luckily Wally recovered at the same time that the time-travel from the past tried to grab Bart, so he was able to get away in time before he and Max collided.

“Let him go!” Screamed Max, trying to catch Wally but was holden back by Jay and Barry, who had snapped out of their shock.

“Kid! Take Bart away from here!” Barry said as he struggled to hold Max in place.

Wally looked a bit unsure because he wanted to give of his mind to the dude who hurt his cousin, but the moment that Bart whimpered and tried to blockout the sound, though he wasn’t able to block out much by only using one of his arma, as his other one was in an odd angle on top of his stomach. He decided he had to get Bart to the Watchtower to get medical help, and maybe later he would have the chance to beat the old man.

Just as he was about to get out of the house, he was tackled by the old dude (which resulted in him letting go of Bart), who had somehow gotten out of the hold of Barry and Jay, but his liberty was short timed as there was sundlely a smoke bomb and all they heard was Max saying “What the-” before something heavy hit the floor.

When the smoke cleared, they saw Wonder Woman and Batgirl were standing next to a open window, Max unconscious and tied with the lasso of truth.

“Hey guys, guess you couldn’t wait-”Batgirl started but was interrupted by Jay, who was sundely was by Bart’s side.

“His arm is broken, and I think something is wrong with his knee.” Jay said, slowly inspecting Bart before gently lifting him.

“You better go to the Watchtower now, I will accompany you as I have this criminal to drop off in one of the holding cells.” Wonder Woman said, before turning to Batgirl.“Can you start making an investigation? I will send Robin to aid you after I put him in the cell.”

“Sure! Uh, though I think you will have to go alone to the HQ.” Said Batgirl, looking at where the Speedster were moments ago.


End file.
